 | |
| Shibata Katsuie | |
| Born: | 1522 |
|---|---|
| Place of Birth: | Owari Province |
| Died: | June 14, 1583 |
| Cause of Death: | Seppuku |
| Place of Death: | Battle of Shizugatake |
| Style name: | 柴田 勝家 |
| Served: | Oda Shibata (Owari) |
| Participation(s): | Battle of Inō Battle of Okehazama Siege of Inabayama Castle Siege of Okawachi Castle Siege of Chōkō-ji Siege of Mount Hiei Sieges of Nagashima Siege of Odani Castle Battle of Tedorigawa Siege of Uozu Battle of Shizugatake |
Shibata Katsuie (柴田 勝家) was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga, and served in most of his master's campaigns during his ascension to power.
Biography[]
Military Career[]
Early in his service to the Oda clan, Shibata Katsuie was assigned to Suemori Castle after Oda Nobunaga granted the fortress to Oda Nobuyuki. Katsuie, along with Sakuma Nobumori and other prominent retainers, was attached to Nobuyuki’s command as part of this arrangement.[1]
In 1570, Shibata Katsuie displayed incredible prowess by successfully defending the castle of Chōkō-ji during the Siege of Chōkō-ji against the Rokkaku clan. After being cut off from the castle's water supply, Shibata Katsuie managed to overwhelm the attackers and forced the Rokkaku to lift the siege.[2]
In 1571, Oda Nobunaga appointed Sakuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie as commanders of the Nagashima force during the first siege of Nagashima. Nobunaga's army made camp on 16 May 1571 at Tsushima, to the northeast of Nagashima, which was divided from the complex by a particularly shallow, yet broad river. An attack was planned on the area immediately to the west of Tsushima against the series of waju, from where an attack could be launched on the fortified Ganshoji monastery. Nobunaga's mounted samurai began to ford towards the first waju, only to find that the river bottom was deep sea of mud. The horse's legs quickly mired and as the horses struggled many threw off their heavy armored riders, who were met by a hail of arrows and bullets, causing several casualties. As the survivors dragged themselves to the nearest dry land, they encountered ropes stretched between stakes, which further hindered their progress towards safety. As night fell, the dike was cut rapidly flooding the low lying land, catching the remaining samurai in inrush of muddy water, and ending Nobunaga's first attack on Nagashima as a disaster. Shibata Katsuie was severely wounded and no impression was made on the defenses. As the Oda army withdrew, they burned several villages on the outskirts.[3]
Death[]
Shibata Katsuie stayed loyal to the Oda after the Toyotomi takeover, but his army was defeated at the battle of Shizugatake and amid the engulfing flames of Kitanoshō castle, Shibata Katsuie performed seppuku.[4]
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Gyūichi Ōta, The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, Brill’s Japanese Studies Library, vol. 36, ed. and trans. Jurgis S. A. Elisonas and Jeroen P. Lamers, p. 61.
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, pg. 220
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, pg. 221
- ↑ War in Japan 1467 - 1615, Stephen Turnbull, pg. 63